Published: Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at 8:06 p.m.

Police Chief Bobbie Trotter said the Laurel Park Police Department was swearing in new officers when they received a call of an armed robbery at Wells Fargo, at 1703 Brevard Road, a little before 2 p.m.

Trotter said the man entered the bank and went straight for the teller on duty. Brandishing a small revolver, he handed her a bag and demanded that she fill it with money.

Witnesses reported seeing a blue Mercedes speeding up Pisgah Drive around the time of the robbery, but police say no one actually saw the robber get in a vehicle.

Trotter said that as the suspect was leaving, he told witnesses not to look at him through the window or he “may turn and shoot.”

Witnesses described the suspect as a Hispanic male, who spoke English well, in his mid-30s, weighing about 180 to 200 pounds and standing about 5'10” tall. Trotter said stills from cameras at the bank show the suspect wore khaki pants, a beige button-up shirt, a blue jersey-style zippered jacket with a hood and a black, short-billed cap.

He carried a small silver handgun, Trotter said, and one of the witnesses described it as a 22-caliber.

No one was injured in the robbery. Detectives from the Henderson County Sheriff's Office assisted with the investigation.

This was the first armed bank robbery the town has had in over a decade.

Trotter said a nationwide flu epidemic may have made surgical masks more readily available.

Police ask anyone with information regarding the robbery or the suspect to call Crime Stoppers at 697-STOP or the Laurel Park Police Department at 692-9399.

<p>Police say an armed man wearing a surgical mask robbed the Wells Fargo bank branch in Laurel Park Monday afternoon. </p><p>Police Chief Bobbie Trotter said the Laurel Park Police Department was swearing in new officers when they received a call of an armed robbery at Wells Fargo, at 1703 Brevard Road, a little before 2 p.m. </p><p>Trotter said the man entered the bank and went straight for the teller on duty. Brandishing a small revolver, he handed her a bag and demanded that she fill it with money.</p><p>Witnesses reported seeing a blue Mercedes speeding up Pisgah Drive around the time of the robbery, but police say no one actually saw the robber get in a vehicle. </p><p>Trotter said that as the suspect was leaving, he told witnesses not to look at him through the window or he “may turn and shoot.”</p><p>Witnesses described the suspect as a Hispanic male, who spoke English well, in his mid-30s, weighing about 180 to 200 pounds and standing about 5'10” tall. Trotter said stills from cameras at the bank show the suspect wore khaki pants, a beige button-up shirt, a blue jersey-style zippered jacket with a hood and a black, short-billed cap.</p><p>He carried a small silver handgun, Trotter said, and one of the witnesses described it as a 22-caliber.</p><p>No one was injured in the robbery. Detectives from the Henderson County Sheriff's Office assisted with the investigation. </p><p>This was the first armed bank robbery the town has had in over a decade. </p><p>Trotter said a nationwide flu epidemic may have made surgical masks more readily available.</p><p>Police ask anyone with information regarding the robbery or the suspect to call Crime Stoppers at 697-STOP or the Laurel Park Police Department at 692-9399.</p><p>Reach Weaver at emily.weaver@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7867.</p>